Reactions are mixed to police leader's apology

SAN DIEGO (AP) — For some, the apology went too far. For others,
it didn't go far enough. For many, it was just right.

The president of one of the largest police organizations in the
United States on Monday apologized for historical mistreatment of
minorities, calling it a "dark side of our shared history" that
must be acknowledged and overcome.

Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association
of Chiefs of Police, said at the group's annual conference that
police have historically been a face of oppression, enforcing
laws that ensured legalized discrimination and denial of basic
rights. He was not more specific.

Cunningham said today's officers are not to blame for past
injustices. He did not speak in detail about modern policing, but
said events over the past several years have undermined public
trust. His comments come as police shootings of black men have
roiled communities in Ferguson, Missouri; Baton Rouge, Louisiana;
and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota; and as black shooters have
targeted officers in Dallas, the St. Louis suburb of Ballwin and
Baton Rouge.

"While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we
must change the future," Cunningham said. "We must forge a path
that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common
solutions to better protect our communities.

"For our part, the first step in this process is for law
enforcement and the (International Association of Chiefs of
Police) to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past
and the role that our profession has played in society's
historical mistreatment of communities of color," he said.

Cunningham received a standing ovation for his remarks from
thousands of law enforcement officials before he introduced U.S.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who largely avoided the topic. He
has been police chief since 1999 in his hometown of Wellesley,
Massachusetts, an affluent, overwhelmingly white, low-crime
suburb near Boston. He served three years as vice president of
the police chiefs association before becoming president in 2015
for a one-year term.

David Alexander III, police chief in Pensacola, Florida, said
recognizing historical injustices is key to addressing race
relations, just as acknowledging domestic violence was a step
forward.

"When you don't know the history and you say, 'Well, there is no
problem,' then you pretty much present yourself as insensitive to
the issues," said Alexander, who is black. "The issue of racial
tension has been a part of American history since its
settlement."

Delrish Moss, who has been police chief of Ferguson, Missouri,
since May and is black, said he had negative encounters with
police when he was growing up, including being called racial
epithets.

"There are communities that have long perceived us as oppressors,
there are communities that have long perceived us as the
jackbooted arm of government designed to keep people under
control, and that's one of the things we have to work hard to get
past," Moss said. "I'm glad it's being addressed ... because the
only way to get past it is to first acknowledge the existence of
it."

Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement were less
enthusiastic.

Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay Mckesson said he looked forward to
Cunningham's comments being backed up by deep, structural changes
to policing and the criminal justice system.

Lt. Bob Kroll, head of the Police Officers Federation of
Minneapolis, thought Cunningham's statement went too far. In his
city, two white officers fatally shot a black man last November.

"Our profession is under attack right now and what we don't need
is chiefs like him perpetuating that we are all bad guys in law
enforcement," Kroll said. "I think it's an asinine statement. ...
We've got officers dying on almost a daily basis now because of
this environment, and statements like that don't help."